mtshark7 Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 So I always wondered where did the '2600' number come from? I understand with the later systems by doing simple math: 5200 = 2600 * 2 7800 = (5200 * 2) - 2600 From doing a Wikipedia search on Atari 2600 they state it came from the serial number...but I feel that they came up with the name first before they came up with the serial number. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Well, originally it was the Atari Video Computer System. The model was CX2600. IIRC, when they were producing their next-gen gaming system, they retroactively renamed the VCS the 2600, while their new system would be the 5200 (implying it's twice as powerful, I guess). As to why the model number for the VCS was CX2600 and not, for example, CX1000 -- or even what the CX stands for (ConXumer product??) -- I dunno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dauber Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Maybe a tribute to phreakers? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I wondered about that. It's a distinct possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emehr Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 (edited) The first time I saw a 2600 mag in the book store I thought it was about the Atari. Naturally, I was disappointed (although intrigued) when I opened it up. I always thought they named it in honor of the Atari. Now, which came first? EDIT: Just Googled, named in the '60s after the 2600 hertz tone. Innnteresting.... EDIT AGAIN: Since Woz was connected to Atari (via Steve Jobs) and he also built blue boxes, maybe he came up with the designation? The rumor starts here folks! Edited December 29, 2011 by Emehr 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dauber Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 heh...I too picked up 2600 in a store, probably around 1996, thinking it had something to do with Atari...but I'm enough of a nerd that I enjoyed it anyway. A year ago they published an article of mine, too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 A year ago they published an article of mine, too. Why would they publish an article about garden ponds? (inside joke) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeizerGhidorah Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 (edited) 7800 = (5200 * 2) - 2600 Well, that or: 7800 = 2600 * 3 (so I guess they're saying it's three times as powerful as the 2600?) Edited December 30, 2011 by KeizerGhidorah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GameGirl420 Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 What about the Atari 400?? and 800 and so on lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rybags Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 400/800 was derived from the intended RAM sizes on release, 4K or 8K. By the time they came out, memory was cheap enough such that they doubled the standard memory sizes. Maybe 2600 was the initial wholesale cost ($26) of the unit. 6507 was fairly cheap, IIRC $25 was the initial price of the 6502 so it probably dropped somewhat after a while. Or maybe it just happened to be the product code and no special meaning was intended since VCS was the official name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer4x4 Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Maybe it was Stella's house number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yell0w_lantern Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 STELLA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtshark7 Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share Posted December 30, 2011 Maybe it was Stella's house number. Stella -> Named after one of the engineers' bicycles hmm...I guess it could be that engineers house who's bike belonged to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yell0w_lantern Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Maybe it was the number of the streetcar. You know, the one named, desire. STELLA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariDude Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Wikipedia mentions that it was named the Atari 2600 after the Atari part number cx2600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariman Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Actually, if I remember correctly, I believe it meant 5200 graphics + 2600 compatibility = 7800. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rybags Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 I reckon the bike story's a politically correct crock. Plus, the secretary with big jugs is a much better story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Maybe it's the bike's serial number? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted January 2, 2012 Share Posted January 2, 2012 Or maybe that's how many doobies Nolan & crew smoked the weekend before they put together the product catalog. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynicaster Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Well, we know that the moniker “Atari 2600” was a retronym applied to the VCS in order to distinguish it from its successor, the 5200. The logic in introducing the number names, I’m sure, was nothing more than simple marketing (i.e., higher numbers = MOAR BETTER!!1!1!!). We also know that the “2600” digits come from the VCS model number CX2600 or whatever it was. I reckon that’s about as much as we’ll ever know. They had to call the machine something internally. The CX2600 code probably means something to some Atari engineer involved in the early stages of the project, but only he’d be able to say exactly what (if he even remembers). At the company I work for, we have all kinds of products whose names consist of numbers, and I know there are very few (if any) folks in my office who could tell you with authority where those numbers actually came from. We just get so used to referring to those products by those names that we don’t even think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 I reckon that’s about as much as we’ll ever know. They had to call the machine something internally. The CX2600 code probably means something to some Atari engineer involved in the early stages of the project, but only he’d be able to say exactly what (if he even remembers). Did it have that number when Beardy McHot-tub was in charge? If it did, someone should ask him and see if he knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariNerd Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 (edited) Yep, the dial tone on older phones was 2600HZ (maybe still is?). It used to be that you could hack phones and get free phone calls (and other potentially subversive things) by having special boxes that generated various tones in the proper sequence. Edited January 15, 2012 by AtariNerd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroogur Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Perhaps because the system was 2600 times cooler than the Fairchild Channel F? Plus easier to say, and more asthetically pleasing, and had better games,etc,,,,,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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